I hate my stomach!!! LOL. I don't really look "fat" except in my stomach area. I am looking for some ab ideas. I know crunches but should you use weights or no weights? Any other ideas so I don't get too bored?

I'm no expert, but Jillian says that you should not do weighted crunches if you still have fat to lose off of your stomach, as it will just make it look bigger. There are tons of different crunches that work different parts of your abs. Reverse crunch, bicycle crunch, russian twists, double crunches, planks, etc are all good exercises, and you can switch them up to keep it interesting.

to get rid of belly fat its all about diet and burning calories. Ab work will strengthen the muscles, but you cant spot reduce fat.

Cardio, cardio, cardio!

Not that you should ignore strength training, but cardio burns fat. Even though you can't spot reduce, reducing fat overall will help

Cardio for sure, but I would also say strengthening your core will help. The more muscle I gain in my back and in my core the smaller my stomach looks. I guess b/c I'm strengthening the entire core not just the front. I do a lot of crunches as well, but the difference has been me building my core.

Yup yup, cardio .... Walking really helps. So easy yet so effective.

I have a dance video called core rhythms. it's a decent cardio work out, and really strrengths legs and abs

Nicely said. Remember: Abs are 75% diet and 25% exercise I read that somewhere.

RUNNING!! it did wonders to my belly after having 3 kids!

My stomach was my problem area too. It just took losing weight to trim it, which was more diet than exercise.

Exactly what I was going to say! (except I only have two kids!) I absolutely HATE crunches. I have done them but it is pure torture. I haven't done them in a very long time and yet my stomach is looking better all the time! All I do right now is run and I can tell a big difference in my entire body.

Thanks so much!!! So should i stop doing the weighted crunches until I lose some of the fat?

Does anyone know of a website with some crunch ideas and explanations?

I don't think core work will be of a detriment to you and everyone benefits from having a strong core, but I think that for what you want to do in shrinking the area, cardio will benefit that the most. I don't know if you *need* to do weighted crunches, but as Monte Cristo said, there are tons of great exercises for that area: reverse bicycle, planks, pilates, etc...

I think I may lay off the weighted crunches and just stick to my cardio and do regular crunches.